Abstract: The effects of different preparation techniques (aqueous enzymatic extraction, aqueous extraction, cold pressing, hot pressing and organic solvent extraction) on the physical and chemical properties, nutritional components and oxidation stability of tiger nut oil from the cultivar ‘Zhongyousha 1’ grown in Xinjiang were investigated. The results showed that organic solvent extraction gave the highest extraction rate (88.31%), and there were significant differences in the physicochemical properties of tiger nut oils prepared by different processes (P < 0.05). Oleic acid accounted for 76.04% of the total fatty acids in the oil prepared by aqueous extraction, which was 1.72–2.34 percentage points higher than that obtained with other preparation processes (P < 0.05). Different preparation techniques had significant effects on the lipid concomitant content and oxidation stability of tiger nut oil (P < 0.05). The oil obtained by organic solvent extraction had the highest contents of tocopherol (370.67 mg/kg), total phenol (168.59 mg/100 g) and phytosterol (271.26 mg/100 g), while the content of squalene was highest (162.04 mg/kg) in the oil obtained by aqueous extraction. The cold pressed oil had the highest oxidation stability index (24.15 h) indicating good oxidation stability. Correlation analysis indicated that the oxidation stability of tiger nut oil was positively correlated with unsaturated fatty acid and oleic acid (r = 0.72, r = 0.48), and the antioxidant capacity (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) free radical scavenging rate) of polar components was significantly positively correlated with total phenol content (r = 0.91, r = 0.96, P < 0.05). The results of principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the cold pressed oil was similar to the oil obtained aqueous enzymatic extraction, while the oils prepared by organic solvent extraction, hot pressing and aqueous extraction were differentiated well. These results can provide a theoretical basis for the development of high-quality tiger nut oil.

Key words: tiger nut oil; preparation processes; physicochemical indexes; lipid phytochemicals; oxidation stability